William H. "Bill" Rosso (99) of Effingham

William H. "Bill" Rosso, a long-time Effingham County resident, died Monday, 25 January 2016 at Evergreen Nursing and Rehabilitation Center, at the age of 99.

Funeral services will be held at 10 a.m. Thursday, January 28 at Sacred Heart Catholic Church, Effingham. Burial will follow in Woodlawn Cemetery, Effingham, with military rites. Visitation will be held from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. Wednesday at Johnson Funeral Home, 1110 N. 4th Street in Effingham, with 6:30 p.m. Fourth Degree Knights of Columbus Rites.

Williiam Henry Dominic Rosso was born in St Louis, Missouri, 22 October 1916, the son of Dominic Rosso and Friedaricka (Frieda) Vogel Rosso. He married Elaine Margaret Gorman in Chicago, 1 March 1946. After 66 years of marriage, Elaine Rosso died 26 August 2012 in Effingham. After attending Southern Illinois University, Bill was graduated from the University of Illinois in 1942 with a degree in Vocational Agriculture. In 1949 he was awarded a Master of Science in Agriculture, also from the University of Illinois. Bill was inducted into the US Army in September 1942. He served with the US Army Air Corps Weather Service in the US, Rome, and North Africa, where he trained weather briefers. His citations included the American Theater Ribbon, the EAME Theater Ribbon, the World War II Victory Medal, and a Good Conduct Medal. Bill received an honorable discharge in 1946. Bill taught vocational agriculture in Brussels, Illinois, a small Calhoun County town north of St. Louis. He moved to Central Illinois in 1947 and worked for the Soil Conservation Service in Tuscola. He lived for a short time in Hume, where he owned a fertilizer business. He and his family then moved to Altamont, where he taught vocational agriculture at Altamont High School. In 1958 he moved to Effingham where he was Farm Service Representative, Trust Officer, and Vice President at the Effingham State Bank. He retired from the bank at the age of 62. Always interested in music, he taught guitar to finance his college education. He studied violin at the University of Illinois with Paul Rolland. In his first teaching assignment in Brussels, he taught accordion and organized a student orchestra. He played in a dance band in the Tuscola area. While teaching at Altamont High School, he played trumpet with the high school summer band. For several years, he played the violin at Christmas Mass at Sacred Heart Church. In his later years, he entertained at nursing homes in the area with other musicians. Bill helped to organize Fine Arts -- County of Effingham (FACE) and the FACE orchestra. He played violin in the FACE orchestra until he was 93 and continued to play the violin until he was 95. His passion for music was equaled by his love of gardening. From the time he was a young teenager, he raised vegetables and flowers. He attended the first Master Gardener class sponsored by the Effingham County U of I Extension Service. In 1997, he was the first Effingham County resident to be named Illinois Outstanding Master Gardener by the University of Illinois. His garden in Effingham was a source of beauty for the neighborhood, and he donated vegetables to those in need. He was featured in a story, Making the Garden Grow, in the Effingham Daily News of 7 March 2001. For a number of years, he raised cattle on a farm West of Effingham. A member of the Knights of Columbus for over 60 years, Bill was inducted into the Springfield Diocese Chapter Hall of Fame in October 2008. He joined the Tuscola council and received his Fourth Degree in Springfield in 1949. He served as the Deputy Grand Knight in the Tuscola council in the early 1950s and as Grand Knight in the Effingham council in 1956-58 and again in 1977. He was instrumental in the establishment of the Effingham Assembly Fourth Degree in 1963. He served as Chartered Faithful Navigator, Chancellor for the Degree Term, and membership director. He edited the council newsletter and attended state conventions. Bill also initiated the “chalice service” for the Effingham Assembly and until 2011 regularly assisted at the presentation of chalices in honor of deceased Knights. As a child, William H. Rosso was a member of St Vincent’s Parish in St. Louis, where he made his first communion in 1924 and was confirmed in 1925. Bill was a member of Sacred Heart Parish in Effingham since 1958, serving as an usher and lector and helping in both the school and parish. He and his wife were members of the Confraternity for Christian Doctrine and assisted in educational programs for high school students at the parish. Bill and Elaine enjoyed traveling and participated in Elder Hostel trips in Europe and the United States. During his years in Effingham County, Bill was active in community activities. For the Effingham County Fair, he served as Chairman of the parade committee, ran the vegetable exhibit and, for a time, was director of the Fair Board. He worked with the Effingham County Red Cross, serving as president of the chapter and fund-raising chairman. He was director of the Effingham County Soil Conservation District and organized a pasture improvement contest. Bill was also a member of the Board of the Effingham County 4-H Foundation, and in 1998, he served as its President. Bill was a life member of the Effingham American Legion and VFW posts. In earlier years, he was a member of the Benevolent and Protective Order of the Elks, Lodge No. 1016, and attended a national convention as a member of the judging team.

Bill is survived by three children and their spouses, Margaret "Peggy" Grossman and Michael Grossman of Urbana, William H. Rosso, Jr. and Susan Drake Rosso of Gurnee, and Patricia Rosso and Robert Smilowitz of Brooklyn, New York.  He is also survived by six grandchildren, Aaron (Charnella) Grossman, Daniel Grossman, Nathaniel (Elise Frawley) Smilowitz, Michael Smilowitz, Matthew Rosso, and Jessie Rosso.  He is also survived by a brother Dominic Rosso of St. Louis and nieces and nephews.

He was preceded in death by his wife, Elaine Gorman Rosso; parents, Dominic and Frieda Vogel Rosso; and four sisters, Julia Nogalski, Pauline Rosso, Marie Hucke, and Ruth Sliment.